CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — As of January, the labor market in Northern Mindanao continues to show steady improvement, with the Services sector leading the way, employing 53.9 percent of the region’s workforce, or about 1.233 million individuals. This highlights the growing importance of service-driven industries such as trade, tourism, healthcare, education, and other public and private services. The labor force participation rate has increased from 61.3 percent in the first quarter of 2024 to 64.9 percent in the same period this year, with 156,000 more people entering the workforce over the past year. The employment rate remained steady at 96 percent, a slight increase from 95.8 percent a year ago, with the region adding 152,000 employed individuals year-on-year and 41,000 more compared to the previous quarter. The unemployment rate held firm at 4 percent, though the number of unemployed individuals rose slightly, from 92,500 to 94,500 over the year. Notably, underemployment dropped significantly from 20.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 15.7 percent by the first quarter of this year, a decrease of nearly 100,000 people looking for better or additional work. The sector distribution shows agriculture providing jobs for 29.1 percent of the workforce, or about 664,000 individuals, and the industry sector accounting for 17.0 percent, employing 387,000 people. Altogether, Northern Mindanao recorded a total of 2.284 million employed individuals as of January.
